Automatic valve construction



July 19, 1932. K. c. BRYANT AUTOMATIC VALVE CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 22, 1930 szs I 3 INVENTOR.

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Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES KNOLES C. BRYANT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AUTOMATIC VALVE CONSTRUCTION Application filed December 22, 1930. Serial No. 504,048.

This invention relates to an automatically operable valve construction and operating means therefor primarily intended for use in filling stations for the purpose of being set to deliver a predetermined amount of liquid fuel to the dispensing tank, but capable of possible other uses.

More specifically stated the invention pertains to a valve construction which may be set in an open position to permit air under pressure to be conducted to the air supply tank in the required amount to force from said tank a predetermined amount of liquid fuel and causes said fuel to be elevated to the dispensing tank, and which, when the predetermined amount of such fuel has been delivered to the dispensing tank, will automatically shut off the air from said supply tank.

An object of the invention is to provide a valve construction for the purpose stated which is very simple in construction, consists of but a few working parts, will stand up without necessity of repair for a long period of use and which may be manufactured at a low price and conveniently installed as a part of the equipment of fuel dispensing stations already in operation.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may hereinafter appear.

."o. Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the casing and adjacent portions of the piping of the valve proper. v

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown inFigs. 1 and 3.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the valve proper and of the operating means therefor, the easing within which these parts are enclosed being shortened in a conventional manner to contract the view and being broken away to show the structure of the parts enclosed therein. In this view portions of the fuel supply pipe and of the overflow pipe are included and the lower portion of the dispensing tank with which these pipes are connected is shown, but the fuel supply tank is not shown. a

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an oil station equipment of which the invention forms a part.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the "5 various parts of the valve construetionare preferably assembled within a casing 7 which is mounted upon a base 8 adapted to rest upon the floor or ground surface. Said casing is provided with a contracted upper portion 9 6 upon which is mounted the dispensing tank 10. Vertically through said casing 7 extends the liquid fuel supply pipe which leads from the supply tank S to said dispensing tank. Through said casing 7 also extends 5 the upper section 16 and the lower section 17 of the overflow pipe, and between saidsections of the overflow pipe is interposed a valve casing 20. The lower section 17 of said overflow pipe leads to the main fuel supply 7 reservoir R. The liquid fuel in the supply tank S is from time to time replenished through pipe 18 which-is provided with a valve 19. To the valve casing 20 is bolted or otherwise secured another valve casing 25, v

the latter valve casing containing parts which are operatively related to the parts within the valve casing 20.

Describing the parts within valve casing 25, vertically through said valve casing extends a bore 26, the upper portion of which is enlarged at 27 and is closed by a cap 28 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the top of saidcasing 25. The lower end of said bore 26 is provided with a diametrically reduced portion 30. Within said bore 26 and its expanded upper portion 27 is mounted a head 31 which contains a chamber 32 in its upper portion and which has a passage 33 which leads from chamber 32 through the v stem 41, said stem projecting up through the passage 33 with a clearance therearound. Above said passage 33 a composition washer 43 is fitted within the lower portion of the chamber 32, said washer having therethrough a hole which registers with the passage 33.

Said valve stem 41 extends through said wash or 43 and upwardly thereheyond, the upper end of said stem being screw threaded and having a long, hexagonal nut 44 screwed thereonto which functions as 'a'valve body.

in the lower portion ofthe bore 26 is mounted a cylindrical head or vent valve body 45 which is provided throughout all except its lower portion with a bore or vertical passage 46, and having radial passages 47 which lead outwardly from said passages 46 through said valve body. The lower end of said valve body is provided with a diametrically reduced extension 50 which has a working fit within the reduced bore portion 30 already referred to.

lVithin the lower end of the bore26 is placed a cup-shaped packing disc 53 which rests upon the upper end of the valve body 45, an annular nut 56 having a screw threaded reduced lower end portion 57 being screwed into the upper portion of said valve body 45 order to hold said packing disc 53 in place. Said nut or head 56 is provided at its upper end with a valve seat 59 with which the conical lower end of the dart or valve head 40 cooperates. From the lower end of the bore 26 an air vent pipe 60 leads to the outer atmosphere.

The cap 28 which is bolted to the top of the casing 25 ha tapped into one end thereof the air pressure supply pipe which, by means of the vent 66 and downwardly extending passage '67, supplies air under pressure to a recess 675 preferably cylindrical, which is drilled or otherwise formed beneath cap 28 in the upper end of the casing 25. From said recess 675 the air-is conducted through a screen 670 and passage 67d. Said air pressure pipe65 leads from the air pump 65a. To the outer portion of the "chamber 37v whence it is conducted through ports 36 to the interior of head 31. The flow of air through the vent 66 and passage 67 is controlled by means of a needle valve 68 which is tapped into the other end of the cap 28 and which is controlled by means of the screw head extension 69.

From the air chamber within the casing 25, which is formed by the bore 26, leads a port '71 which communicates with the 'air dis charge pipe 7 2, whercoy the air is commonly conveyed to the underground fuel supply tank.

Describing now certain parts which are contained within or mounted upon the casing 20 to which the liquid outlet pipe 16 leads,

' said dog 78. Said bell crank lever has a single upwardly extending latch arm, but the lower or base portion thereof is extended laterally and provided with two pivot lugs one of which is located at each side of the casing 20, one of these lugs being shown in Fig. 4. By means of these lugs said bell crank lever 80 is pivotally secured at 85' to each side of the casing 20. The base portion of said bell crank lever carries an adjustable screw threaded stem 87 which is designed to be locked in theadjusted position by means of nuts 88, the uppe end of said stem 87 serving as striker or abutment which cooperates with the valve extension 50, best shown in Fig. 3 to control the action of the valve elements contained within the casing 25.

It will be seen that the lever 80 is pivotally mounted at one side of its center of gravity and is provided with the operating pin 87 at the other side of its center of gravity. This construction adapts the lever when re leased from the dog 7 8 to fall to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 wherein it releases the valve extension 50.' If desired, the right hand portion of the base part of the lever as viewed in Fig. 4, may be weighted in order to cause the lever when released to act more positively.

To start the operation of filling the dispensing'tank 10, the lever 80'is moved up toward the dog 78 of the butterfly valve 7 6. This movement of said lever raises the vent valve body 45 until it engages the valve 40 thus closing the vent valve. This movement of the lever is then continued until said lever is locked in the upper position by engaging the dog 78'of the butterfly valve. This last movement of the lever lifts the valve cap 44 off from the composition seat 43 thus permitting air admitted under pressure by the needle. valve 68 to pass down through the passage 67 into the recess 67?) thence through the screen 670 and passage 67d into the cage or head 31 which surrounds the valve body formed by the nut a4.

From the head 31 the air passes through the composition wash-er 43, around the rod 41, thence through passage 71 and pipe 72 to the underground tank S. The air thus admitted to tank S, owing to the valve for the vent pipe 60 having previously been closed as above stated, forces the liquid from said tank S up to the dispensing tank 10. When the liquid has risen Within the dispensing tank until it reaches the top of the overflow pipe 16 it flows down said pipe and strikes against the butterfly valve 7 6, thus unlatcliing the lever permitting said lever to fall and thereby operate the valve with which it is connected to cut off further supply of air under pressure from the air reser voir.

This operation is produced by reason of said lever being removed from under the valve extension 50 thus allowing the valve 44 to seat by gravity upon the composition washer 48, and the valve body 45 to then drop farther down thus opening the seat between 40 and 57. This operation when completed permits the air to escape from the underground tank S by way of pipe 72 thence around valve head 40 through the openings l7 in valve body 15, then out vent pipe 60. The vent pipe 60 is shown in Fig. 5 as being tapped into the air vent pipe 601" of the reservoir R. The liquid overflow is delivered to the reservoir R by the lower section 17 of the overflow pipe.

I claim:

1. In a valve construction and operating means therefor, a liquid supply tank, air pressure supply means for said tank, a dispensing tank, a pipe to supply liquid to said dispensing tank from said supply tank, an overflow pipe to conduct overflow liquid from said dispensing tank, an air pipe communicating with said supply tank, a valve structure comprising a casing having an elongated air chamber with which said air pipe communicates, said chamber having air inlet means at one side and air outlet means at its other side, two valve elements connected to move as a unit lengthwise of said chamber one of which controls said air outlet means and one of which controls said air inlet means, and means for latching said valve elements in a position wherein said air inlet means are open and said air outlet means are closed, said latching means being releasable by the action of the overflow liquid thereon from said dispensing tank thus unlatching said valve, said valve being constructed and arranged when unlatched to close said air inlet means and open said air outlet means.

2. In a valve construction and operating means therefor, a tank adapted to contain liquid, :1 liquid supply tank therefor, a pipe aifording liquid communication between said tanks to supply liquid to the first recited tank, means. to supply air under. pressure to said supply tank, said means including an air supply pipe communicating with the latter tank,

a valve to control the supply of air through engaged from said projecting valve stem,

latching means with which said lever is engageable to maintain it in such position, said lever tending to move, when unlatched, to a. position permitting said valve stem to move and close the valve of which it forms a part, a liquid operable member operatively related to said latching means, and an overflow pipe leading from the first recited tank and adapted to convey liquid overflow to said liquid operable means to release said latching means from said lever.

3. In a valveconstruction and operating means therefor, a tank adapted to contain liquid, a. liquid supply tank therefor, a pipe affording liquid communication between said tanks to supply liquid to the firstrecited tank, means to supply air underpressure to said supply tank, said means including an air supply pipe communicating with said supply tank, a valve to control the supply of air through said air supply pipe, said valve com prising a casing and a valve stem which projects below said casing, a lever pivotally mounted and having a part which is engageable with said projecting valve stem to hold said valve in an open position, said lever normally being disengaged from said projecting valve stem, latching means with which said lever is engageable to maintain it in such position, said lever tending to movefwhen unlatched, to a position permitting said valve stem to move and close the valve of which it forms a part, a liquid operablemember 0peratively related to said latching means, and liquid overflow piping adapted to convey overflow liquid from the first recited tank to said liquid operable member when the first recited tank has been filled to the extent predetermined, for the purpose ofreleasing said casing and permitting said valve to close to discontinue the supply of air under pressure valve structure comprising two valve elements one of which controls the supply of air through said air pipe under pressure to said supply tank and the other of which con trols the escape of air through said air pipe, and a latch releasable by the overflow liquid, said latch being constructed and arranged to releasably maintain said valve structure in a position wherein the air pressure supply pipe is open and the airvent pipe is closed, there being a connection permitting relative movement between the valves of said valve structure, said valve structure tending to move to an unlatched position during which movement the valve controlling the air pressure supply opens first and the valve control ling the escape of the air opens later.

5. A valve structure comprising a casing having therein a vertically extending bore, a fixed inlet valve seat controlling entrance of air to the upper end portion of said bore, a movable air outlet valve seat formed in a part which has a working fit in the lower portion of said bore, a valve body for each of said valve seats, a valve stem connecting said valve bodies, an air pressure supply to supply air pressure to said chamber between said valve seats, and means to releasably support said part against the action of gravity and in a position wherein said outlet valve seat is closed and said inlet valve seat is open, said supporting means when released permitting said part to gravitate to a position wherein said inlet valve seat and outlet valve seat is open. v

6. In a valve construction and operating means therefor, a liquid supply tank, air pressure supply means for said tank, a dispensing tank, a pipe to supply liquid to said dispensing tank from said supply tank, an

overflow pipe to conduct overflow liquid from said dispensing tank, an air pipe communieating with said supply tank, a valve structure comprising a casing having an upstanding elongated air chamber with which said air pipe communicates, said chamber having an air inlet port in its upper portion and an air outlet port at its lower portion, a valve body for each of said parts to control the movement of air therethrough, a valve stem connecting said valve bodies, said air outlet port communicating with an air vent passage which is formed in a movablepart the movement of which is adapted to operate both of said valve bodies, latching means to release ably supportsaid part against the action of gravity and in a position wherein said outlet port is closed and said inlet port is open, and means operable by the overflow liquid from said overflow pipe to release said latch thus permitting said part to gravitate to a position wherein said inlet port is closed and said outlet port is open.

7. A valve structure comprisinga casing having therein an elongated chamber, afixed inlet valve seat controlling entrance of air to one end portion of said chamber, a movable outlet valve seat formed in a part which has a working fit in the other end portion of said chamber and which tends to move toward that end portion thereof, a valve body for each of said valve seats, a valve stem connecting said valve bodies, an air pressure supply to supply air pressure to said chamber between said valve seats, and means to releas: ably maintain said part in a'position wherein said outlet valve is closed and said inner valve seat is open, said last recited means when released permitting said part to move to a position wherein said inlet valve seat and outlet valve seat are open.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

KNOLES C. BRYANT. 

